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Rangers Part Two: Relations
Prologue Young ones! Come in, come in! I've found the second volume! Aye, and the third one, too! ''I've sent off for some lunch. ''Part two is first, of course. Now, its almost time for Kalvar to leave Redwall and set off south. Chapter 1: Farewells Stardust giggled and managed to crawl to the door this time before her mother caught her. "Gotcha you little rascal!" The baby mouse giggled and munched on her candied chestnut. Looking out the window, she saw her husband, Kalvar the Ranger striding towards the door. Gathering Stardust up in a blanket, she exited their room, heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. *** Kalvar sat at the head of the table with the leaders of Redwall, and grabbed a bowl of porridge. Velvet sat next to him, holding their newborn babe. He scratched Stardust's ears, who grabbed his claw and nibbled. He laughed. "I'd say he's hungry." Mattimeo slid a bowl across to him the mousemaid and her child. "Here, porridge with honey spread on top." As the creatures ate, Matthias and Kalvar conversed across the table. "So its south and west to the coast?" Matthias asked. Kalvar nodded. "Aye, and then south." Pius interrupted. "I might ask, where do you plan on going?" Kalvar stirred his porridge. "South, to some large castle." Pius scratched his chin, then leaned over to the recorder, Tim Churchmouse, whispering to him. Tim whispered back, then hopped out of his chair and strode out the front door. Abbot Pius explained. "I do believe that Tim has mentioned such a castle before, from the time of another Redwall warrior." Tirdea the ferret walked up, carrying his bowl. "Speaking of warriors, we've got a lead on where the sword of Martin the Warrior went. The claw marks we found around the hooks suggest that a bird took off with it. I had Tripolius take a look, and he thinks that a southern magpie took off with it." "South..." Kalvar said. "Good, that's the way we're headed. The Father Abbot stuck his paws in to the arms of his habit. "So who all is going?" Basil finished off his bowl of porridge and reached for the ladle to get some more. "It'll be Matthias, Kalvar, Mattimeo, Jess, Sam, Angelica, Logalog and my good self. Mmm, jolly good scoff, wot." Pius pushed his empty bowl a paw length away from him. "That's quite the party." Kalvar smiled. "I shouldn't have to tell you about the 'party' I brought here." "Very well. I'll have traveling rations made for you, but you'll be living off the land." Matthias did the same with his bowl. "We'll survive." Kalvar finished his bowl and turned to look at his daughter, who was blissfully munching on a strawberry, a smile on her face. "Yes, we will." *** With breakfast done, the Rangers went outside to spar. They like to keep combat ready, and just because two of them were leaving, that didn't mean that they would slack off. Kalvar and Tirdea finished their sparring, and then strode up the wall steps. "How long do you expect to be gone, Kalvar?" "Two, no more than three seasons, by my guess." "Anything I should know?" "After two seasons take the Rangers, Velvet, and Stardust to Salamandastron. Get as many warriors as you can and take them with you." Tirdea looked most puzzled. "What's the occasion?" "Just a feeling." The ferret nodded, and the two split up. *** Velvet was nursing her daughter when Kalvar unlocked the door and entered their room. He went to his weapons locker and pulled out his freshly repaired armor, which had been beaten to shreds during his fight with Dakkar the Warlord. "You're leaving tomorrow?" He went back to the locker and pulled out his weapons. Sword, dagger, and moonwood bow with a full quiver of arrows. "Yes. I'll be gone before you wake up." She stood and went to stand next to him, still holding Stardust. "Don't be long." He looked at her and smiled. "Never planned on being too long." He folded up the arm of his tunic a bit and pulled a golden bracelet off. "Take this." She took it in one paw. The bracelet glinted in the sunlight, and she saw curious, square patterns adorning it. Turning it over in her paw, she saw a strung bow and a sword, crossed underneath a round shield. A creature, its species unidentifiable, was embossed at the center of the shield. Two paws with their claws pointed upward adorned either side of this creature, and each claw was different. On one paw there was a claw each for moles, hedgehogs, mice, hares, and otters, and on the other paw were claws for rats, ferrets, weasels, stoats, and foxes. This whole configuration was raised slightly. It felt smooth as she ran a finger along it. The pattern had been skillfully engraved so that focusing on one particular portion of it brought that one to the fore, and all the others blurred out. Attempting to focus on the entire thing proved impossible. "What's it for?" "Its a symbol, to identify a Ranger wherever they may go. We only give these to the creature we hold most dear. Wherever you go, as long as you hold that, any Ranger will help you. You'll be safe here, with my Rangers." "What if you need it?" He held up his other paw, showing her another bracelet around his wrist. "We always carry two for this reason." She slipped it around her wrist, studying it in the light. Stardust wriggled deeper in to the folds of her blankets, falling asleep. Kalvar stepped forward and laid his paw on the mousebabe's head, then hugged his wife. "Before the autumn leaves fall again, we will see each other." They went to sleep that night in a sad, but hopeful mood. Chapter 2: Him! Kalvar and the others were gone before the sun showed the first rays, meeting in the Great Hall, then leaving through the main gate and traveling southwest. He and Angelica had left their chainmail behind, it being too heavy to take, and just wore their leather armor. They jogged no more than ten paces apart from each other, and covered ground fast, the leagues flying behind them. It was high noon when they stopped for lunch and observed a mountain range to the west. Lunch was a small meal of yellow cheese and barley bread with chopped nuts in it. They began jogging again, and by the end of the second day the party reached the Great South Stream. Matthias kicked a pebble in to the fast moving water. "Now all we do is follow the river to the coast." The others agreed, and they bedded down for the night. Mattimeo took first watch, and he settled down to keep an eye on everything. Unfortunately he got too comfortable, and was soon snoring. *** Velvet had found that Kalvar kept true to his word. He was gone before she arose for the day. She didn't descend too far in to a melancholy mood, having known that he was leaving for a long time. But by the fur, he'd be gone for over two seasons! They'd just met three seasons ago... Velvet descended in to Great Hall, which was empty. That was odd. Something was wrong. She heard a noise behind her, and then gravelly breathing. The young mousemaid whirled around, and was met with the sight of a creature in shadow, carrying a spear. "Help!" He stepped forward, smashing her down with the butt of the spear. *** The party was rudely awoken by a gang of vermin, about nineteen of them. "Gerrup you mangy lot! Let's see what yah got in yer havvysacks!" Sam was grabbed by the scruff and dragged upright. "Bah, mangy lot yourselves you sack of sissies!" The rest got the same treatment. Matthias smiled. "Nice of them to help us up, though." Mattimeo agreed. "Aye, though they could have washed first." "Sharrup!" A nasty looking weasel kicked him. Kalvar rolled his shoulders. "First bit of work starts now." He grabbed his dagger and plunged it in to a ferret. Spinning, he slashed the throat of another. The others stood stunned by this sudden attack, and the friends leaped upon them, punching and kicking until the gang ran off. Kalvar wiped his dagger off. "Next time Mattimeo, stay awake. Put a rock or something underneath you to make you uncomfortable if you have to." Mattimeo nodded furiously. "Aye, sir." Kalvar sneered a bit. "Don't 'sir' me young'un!" There was a flash of feathers and the party threw themselves down. A brown flecked bird alighted on the nearby log. Jess was first to rise. "A whip-poor-will! He looks friendly." The whip-poor-will preened himself and harrumphed. "I should, I should say so. I come, I come bearing news from the Abbey." Kalvar stood and sheathed his dagger. "What would that be, friend?" "My name, my name is Lorshist. And I'm, and I'm afraid I have bad news. The Cruel One, Cruel One has returned!" The party was taken aback. Matthias shook his head. "Slagar is alive? Impossible! I watched him fall down a deep hole!" Similar outcries were made, along with demands for more information. Lorshist was glancing around. "I only, I only report what I have been told to. I have more, have more news for Kalvar." Kalvar felt his heart sink. "No..." "Yes I'm, yes I'm afraid it is so. He has, he has taken your daughter, Ranger, among many other young ones. Velvet is, Velvet is taking some Rangers to follow him." Kalvar hung his head, and a tear rolled out of his eye. "Which way has the blaggart gone?" The bird kept glancing around. "Why he's, why he's headed south, of course." Kalvar shook his head and looked up, his eyes clear. "All roads lead south. I know where he's headed. The fiend is going to meet up with his brother, Dakkar, to make me pay! Let's go!" And the party sped off, with Lorshist left to fly back to the abbey. *** Velvet made sure her longbow string was well waxed and fit for battle. She'd trained with it for the last two seasons, becoming quite skilled with it. The three score Rangers behind her were silent, and four trackers split from the group to chase Slagar. She had not needed to show them the bracelet Kalvar had given her, Tirdea had swiftly agreed that they had to follow his leader south. "We'll run him down as fast as we can." She growled beneath her breath. Tirdea fiddled with his sword hilt. "We will, friend, we will. Those dibbuns are just as much our responsibility as yours." *** The creatures ran faster this time, fear for the young ones lending speed to their paws, and it was but a score of days before they sighted their objective. Castle Floret. Their booted feet thudded along the planks of the drawbridge as they were approached by a guard of otters. Their leader stepped forward. "Who are you and what is your business here?" Kalvar spoke up. "We're creatures from Redwall, chasing after Dakkar's horde." The otters nodded. "Ah, that one. We've been fighting him off for almost two whole seasons now. Get yourself inside, we need to bring up the drawbridge." *** Kalvar sat on the bed in the room that the squirrel king had given him. He felt a new emotion, one that he'd never expected to feel: Despair. He'd lost family before, but he'd been young and didn't remember them. But this was personal. This cut him to the core of his being. That was his daughter. It had been three weeks since she'd been captured, and he'd heard nothing of her. He just knew where Slagar was taking her. South, and to Dakkar. Where he was. *** Dakkar stewed. Two long seasons had passed, and finally he was almost able to move his paw again. After the tendons had been sliced by Kalvar the Ranger it had been useless, and had taken a long time to heal. But finally, feeling was coming back to the paw. And it brought pain. He groaned as the healer gave him another potion. "Drink this, m'lord. T'will take the pain away." Dakkar snatched the goblet and guzzled it down. He felt a bit dizzy, then the pain was gone moments later. The healer finished and left. Dakkar promptly grabbed his sword and pointed it in to the corner. "Show yourself, be ye friend or foe, so that I may gut you!" The figure stepped out of the shadows, and Dakkar nearly dropped his weapon. It was a tall, lithe fox, clad in dark blue travelers clothing and sporting a cape of the same color with stars all over it. He wore a red and blue checkered mask over his face. A guttural laugh escaped Slagar's throat, and he coughed in pain, and his voice was equally gravelly. "Hello, brother." "What do you want?" Slagar held up a small bundle. "I bring you something useful." Dakkar wrinkled his nose. "A rag?" Slagar unwrapped the bundle. "No, something better." He held forth Stardust. "The spawn of that Ranger character, Kalvar." Dakkar took the small mousebabe, who started to cry. He stuck his head out the window. "Shadesmeare, come here!" His new mate slunk over. "Yes, what do you want?" He handed her the babe. "Take care of this mouse. Guard it with your life?" She looked incredulous, but bowed and left the tent. "Yes, Excellency." Slagar stood rigid. "What will you do with it?" Dakkar snarled and turned to him. "You are not an idiot, but a fool! That will just make Kalvar and his Rangers fight harder! And I can't kill the babe, or Kalvar will not die until I'm dead." Slagar was impassive. "So give her back to them." Dakkar shook his head. "I cannot. That will change nothing. There is some good news as well. Having his daughter will make Kalvar reckless, he won't think as much about what he's doing. He'll make mistakes. And I'll be there to use that to our advantage." Slagar smiled. "Matthias is with them. I'll be there, too." Dakkar returned the smile. "We shall have our vengeance together." And he laughed, that choking, halting laugh. *** Velvet and the Rangers came upon the Castle three days later. Dakkar's forces had struck several times, each time being repulsed by the avid defenders. They were let in and questioned, some of the Rangers, of course, being a focal point of suspicion as they were labeled 'vermin'. Tirdea himself was highest among them, being the second in command. He and Velvet met the others who'd left the Abbey in the courtyard, and left Kalvar and his wife alone. "What if Dakkar kills Stardust?" Kalvar put his paws on her shoulders. "He wouldn't dare harm a hair on her head. He knows that if he so much as scratches our daughter he'll pay with my wrath. He thinks that I'll be reckless, that I'll have lost some of my touch on the news of hearing about her kidnap. He is wrong. I will engineer events that will get Dakkar and Slagar out of this region and our daughter back." He paused, and she pushed a bit. "So what's wrong?" "Its you. I don't want to have to watch you while you're here." She just laughed. "No need to watch me. Redwallers are made of sterner stuff than that!" He smiled worriedly. *** Tirdea watched from the shadows. He'd need to keep an eye on his leader. Whether Kalvar would admit it or not, the taking of his daughter had affected him. Tirdea would be there to help him. The ferret always would be. The Ranger's second in command walked away around the side of the castle. *** Floret's Skipper, an otter named Riclea Streambattle, watched the ferret slink off, and turned to his crew mates. "That ferret's up to something. Warflo and Tidespring, watch him. Make sure he's trustworthy." Chapter 3: In to the forest Kalvar knew he had to set the events in motion, so he was gone the next morning He moved silently through the woods, only pausing to take care of the occasional sentry. It was early in the morning by the time the Ranger reached the middle of the camp, and Dakkar's tent. Shadesmeare awoke rudely to a the tip of her blade on her neck. "Move and you die, fox!" So she didn't move, but her eyes twitched up to the face, hidden in shadow. The creature moved forward, and she looked in to Kalvar's eyes, which had a tinge of red to them. From tiredness? No, this was something else... "Where's my daughter?" She quivered. "Sh-sh-she's not here. D-d-d-dakkar i-is making us switch her around so you can't sneak in and get her back." Kalvar smiled, with no humor behind the expression. "I thought as much." His fist snapped out and caught her a blow between her eyes, knocking the vixen cold instantaneously. Kalvar sheathed his sword and got to work. *** Tirdea the ferret watched his leader work under the darkness of night. The mouse moved around a lot, taking things from places, shifting things across tents, adding some objects. The Ranger second in command sat on the branch of the tree, left leg swinging in to the bottom boughs, his moonwood bow ready. Kalvar never bothered to get near Dakkar's tent, knowing that the guards would spot him and sound the alarm. Dakkar wasn't paranoid, just prepared. He only chose guards he knew wouldn't fall asleep, and were sharp of eye. Tirdea had to marvel at Kalvar's skill, precisely changing things in only a certain portion of the camp. The ferret had a small glimpse of the Ranger's plan, but he could not fathom what it might be. From the bushes ten paces away, two otters watched the ferret. *** Velvet joined Kalvar the next morning in the Royal Banquet hall, where Squirrel King Drayden had invited the leader and his wife to breakfast. "You were up late." He looked at her, seeming wide awake, and broke his blueberry scone in half, reaching for the yellow meadowcream to slather on it. "How do you know that?" The mousemaid sat and reached poured herself some strawberry cordial. "You yawned. You only ever yawn when you stay awake too long." The Squirrel King and Queen, Treeflow, entered and sat down. Drayden nodded. "Its good to see that you are used to helping yourself." Velvet answered. "We do things similarly at Redwall." Treeflow asked of Kalvar. "And where you come from?" Kalvar shrugged. "We eat when we get food. If you find a bush you eat your share and take the rest to your family." "Why would anyone want to try to live up there?" The King asked. "I don't know. There are many wonders up there that are impossible to find down south, such as ice and glaciers." "What is a glacier?" "A mountain of ice. No creature knows how they get where they are, but they are known to move, just a few paw lengths every season." Drayden's brow rose. "That sounds almost impossible, especially the part about these mountains of ice moving." "I thought it was impossible too, until one of my trainers stuck a pole outside our cabin. By the end of the season, the pole was no longer in front of our cabin." The Kind nodded, and silence ensued all four beasts tucked in to the food. Afterwords they all strode out on to the upper balcony of Castle Floret and looked down from the teetering heights. Velvet was entranced by the height. "Our Abbey is nothing like this." Kalvar, having spent his life traveling, and thus striding along the edges of great cliffs, was not so much interested by the height, but how the Castle had been built so high. Drayden was proud to explain. "Before your abbey was built a great army of squirrels were besieged by vermin, and they knew they had to defend themselves. They had a large city on this very spot, and decided to create a stone forest. That story may sound cliched, but that is how defenses like this usually spring up, unlike your Abbey." Kalvar nodded and leaned out over the railing, studying the dizzying drop. "I can imagine how only an army of squirrels could build this, no other creature could climb so high." Drayden's back straightened a bit more. *** "Riptang, attend to me!" The fox Captain finished tightening his gloves and left his tent. He strode over to the Warlord's tent and tossed the flap aside. Dakkar was sitting on the edge of his bed, twisting his healed hand around. A masked fox stood stock still in the corner. Riptang bowed at the waist. "You sent for me, excellency?" The white fox then tested his shoulder. It was still stiff from having it near completely gutted by Kalvar. "I did. Kalvar was here last night." Riptang leaned back slightly. "I haven't heard anything of the like around camp, sire." Dakkar grabbed his plate gauntlet and fitted it on to his paw. "That's because I'm the only one who sees the signs. But I've never heard of anybeast doing such a thing that he did." "What is that?" "He moved objects around. And in a fairly small area, too." Riptang's mind went searching for what he knew about Recovered Rangers, which was, unfortunately, very little. Very few Rangers had the skills to search for a reason to live, and fewer had found them. It was known that Recovered Rangers fought even harder, and were even harder to kill than their brethren. Kalvar had proven this after Dakkar had run the mouse through, and yet the Ranger stood and roared after the fleeing warlord, before toppling over. Riptang had hoped for a while that the Ranger had died from blood loss, but his appearance on the walls during their attacks made it obvious that he had recovered fully. "I would expect it has something to do with his daughter." Dakkar snarled. "Of course it does." Riptang looked to the third fox in the corner, who grinned at him. Dakkar followed his Captain's gaze. "This is Slagar the Cruel, my brother." The two red foxes nodded to each other, and Slagar spoke, his voice rasping out: "Ah, so you're the strategist that Dakkar has told me of." Riptang nodded again, his mind racing. Three foxes as the top three commanders of nearly ten thousand creatures. This could get ugly... *** Wild Ivy flipped her knife up in the air and caught it by the tip. Flicking her index claw, she sent the blade spinning around her middle claw, bouncing it back the other way with her ring claw. The blade curled around her first two fingers and under her palm. With a twitch of her wrist the blade sailed skyward. "Marm, Castle Floret's in sight." The blade came down, and Ivy caught it by the hilt and stuffed it in to her waist belt. "Thanks, Claude." The circus had been traveling for two whole seasons to reach the southern fortress, and now they were just a half day's march from it. Ivy sensed that not all was well in the southern regions. There was a weight that had settled on the land, she knew it. But she didn't know why. *** Hadier squinted at the fast growing dots two leagues out, and signaled the blue flag to Tirdea on the ground. Blue for "creatures approaching, not known if hostile." Tirdea nodded and ran off to find Kalvar and Drayden. He was back several minutes later, with their leaders right behind him, Kalvar still strapping his leather armor on. Taking the wall steps two at a time, Kalvar stared out at the approaching caravan. "Circus." Mattimeo looked at him oddly. "How do you know that?" Kalvar pointed. "Circuses generally travel south this season, and look at the shape of the wagons. Curved outward to hold more stuff, not to keep stuff out." Suddenly a large band of vermin popped out and surrounded the caravan, and they were soon lead off in to the forest. Matthias drummed his claws against the battlements. "Shouldn't we have done something about that?" He turned to Kalvar, who was gripping the parapets with both paws, his jaw set, his eyes had a wild look about them, and he was the only one who heard the Ranger mutter: "Right on time." *** Wild Ivy was livid. The vermin jeered at her and her circus as they were paraded in front of thousands of the filthy creatures. An armored fox approached her circus caravan, which had been arrayed in to a defensive circle. He took off his helmet, and Ivy found herself looking down at what she guessed a handsome fox would look like, his fur pure white. He'd come from across the northern seas, then. The armor hid it, but she also learned that he could move fast in it, and he was incredibly muscular. The circus leader folded her arms, feeling the pommels of her five knives pressing against her wrists. "You must be Dakkar, the Warlord." The fox smiled evilly. "Yes, I am. And you are Wild Ivy, the knife master." Ivy was perplexed, but didn't outwardly show it. "And why have you stopped my caravan?" Dakkar waved a paw, and a few score of his soldiers moved forward, scattering among the carts and beginning to search them. "You're travelers. Travelers must be stopped and searched to be sure they won't help the enemy." The performers were helpless as the horde stripped the caravan bare. They were performers, not warriors. The white fox gestured to Ivy. "You carry weapons. But I will not take them from you." This was most perplexing. "Why is that?" Dakkar smiled. "Not only are you just performers, but I have heard of you, Wild Ivy. Much about you, and I know that you'll never use those knives to hurt anything." Here he shook his head, muttering, "Foolish idea." Then he turned away and spoke to a red fox wearing a dark blue cloak. "Take them away. Keep them near the center of our horde, so Kalvar can't reach her." The fox nodded, and organized the caravan to move, ordering the looting soldiers to return most of the performer's possessions. Kalvar the Ranger, Ivy thought. Just the creature I'm looking for. *** The Red Mist was attempting to consume him. It highly uncommon for a Ranger to be afflicted with the malady known to the southerners as "Bloodwrath". Up North, it was known as the Red Mist. Right now it was settled around the edges of Kalvar's vision, only held back by a tremendous effort of will. The problem was compounded by being surrounded by the very vermin he had been sent to kill. Like a wraith he slid through the camp, leaping from branch to branch, pawing silently across clearings as he continued with the movement of certain items. He knew that Tirdea was watching him. How could the ferret resist? Ranger leader's second-in-commands were best friends with their leaders, so of course he'd care. Of course Kalvar was the only one who knew he wasn't sliding in to an abyss. He'd been here before, but he didn't allow himself to think that made him immune to the slide, so he guarded against it even harder. Ah, the caravan. His real destination for the night. Dropping silently to the ground, the Ranger strode to the side of one of the wagons. "Oy, what're you..." Without thinking, Kalvar whipped out his dagger and stabbed behind him. He turned to find his blade sunk in the neck of one of Dakkar's weasels. The creature gurgled, then began to topple. Kalvar grabbed him, then lowered the dying beast slowly to the ground and dragged him to the river, tossing the body gently in. He made it back to the caravan safely, and entered the wagon decorated with five blades crossed at the tips. The Ranger went in to the wagon and strode to the back of the wagon, where Wild Ivy lay sleeping restlessly. She mumbled as he woke here, then came straight awake as he pinched her nose and held her mouth shut. "Be silent." He hissed and released her. The circus mouse caught her breath spoke. "Who are you?" "My name is Kalvar the Ranger." She sat, perched on the edge of her cot. "I've heard of you." Kalvar's eyebrows rose. "Have you now? That's very odd for someone I haven't met." She smiled. "I know who you were, at any rate, not necessarily who you are now. And I know what you are, as well." Kalvar settled down for a long conversation. Chapter 4: Disturbances Kalvar was sleeping in late this time. Velvet sat on in the rocking chair on the far end of the room, fletching arrows and setting them in her quiver. She was so focused on the goose feathers that she started when Kalvar's paw came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up at him. His eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, but his movements were still as lithe and graceful as ever. "Running out of arrows?" "Yes." Kalvar got a troubled look on his face, and he went and sat on the edge of the bed. "'Tis a sad thing." "What?" "To see peaceful creatures become killers. It seems as if anything Dakkar affects becomes more warlike." Velvet set the fletcher's kit aside and smoothed the front of her dress. Before the beginning of her travels to Southsward she had been skinny, but not necessarily fit. Now she was tougher, having put on much more muscle as a result of the long, sustained marches and pulling a longbow. "It was necessary." "That doesn't make it any less tragic." And with that he lay back down and went back to sleep. *** Kalvar was dreaming again. It had started as his last dream had ended, with the sword of Martin the Warrior above Castle Floret with its tip pointing down, as he stood on the shore of the sea, the waves lapping at his feet. Then he'd moved away from the water and up on to the grasslands surrounding Floret and towards the wood fringes. Not knowing where he was bound, he followed his feelings. It was strange, in most of his dreams he at least had some sense of control. But in this one Kalvar felt his footpaws being moved for him, but he was still free to turn his head, examining the surroundings. The woods were getting thicker, he was walking towards the heart of the forest. Through a gap in the trees ahead he saw a thick trunk. As he got closer he found that the sun had begun to set, and the air had become cooler. At the base of the large tree a fire had been lit, a large one. Something lay in the flames, it looked like a sack or a body. Dakkar was sitting near the fire, wearing just a simple homespun tunic. He looked up at Kalvar's approach. His muscles shown, bulky in the firelight, but he was still smaller than he was now. This was obviously a younger version of the warlord, before he'd become a warlord. The white fox jerked his head back towards the fire, and the body being licked by the flames. "'Tis a sad thing." Kalvar stepped into the fire. The orange tongues lapped at his body hungrily, but didn't harm him. The body was not harmed, but Kalvar knew immediately who it was. He also knew the next fortress he would be defending. Between the fire and the tree stood Martin the Warrior in full battle gear, shaking his head sadly. Beyond the giant tree the waves crashed upon the shore and slid back in to the sea, and the failing light turned red, the sun eclipsed by the massive trunk. Just as they had for countless seasons. And would continue for just as long. *** Kalvar felt fully rested when he awok, and the Red Mist was currently not encroaching upon him. Judging from the height of the sun outside as he stepped outside, he had woken just in time for supper. The main dining hall was full as he entered, slipping in to his usual space between Velvet and Tirdea. "Busy night, Ranger?" Tirdea inquired. "When do I not have a busy night these days?" Kalvar replied, digging in to a bowl of hotroot soup. "Meet with anyone important?" "Actually, yes, I did. Wild Ivy, the leader of that circus that got captured." Velvet's spoon paused halfway between her mouth and bowl. "And what did you talk about?" It was Kalvar's turn to hesitate. "My past. And her future." "What about your past did you discuss?" "Things best left unsaid. Trust me, if I thought it was necessary that you know, I would tell you in a flash." "And what about her future." "They have to do with my plans for retrieving our daughter. She's just the catalyst that will push them in to the next stage." Tirdea finished his bowl, and rose to leave. "Trust Kalvar, Velvet. His plans always work, even if Dakkar punches holes in them." She turned back to Kalvar, who was almost finished with his meal. "Then why can't you tell us these plans?" The Ranger swallowed the last mouthful. "Because, not meaning any offense, my plans to get her back do not concern most of the creatures inside the Castle. I have already selected those it does concern. I know Dakkar, and I know what he'll do. If he changes what he does, I have contingencies. Just be assured that our daughter will be back with us within a week." Velvet nodded silently, not completely reassured. *** Dakkar's forces were making a small probe this time on the West wall, so Kalvar and Skipper Riclea put almost every fighting beast on that wall, and the attack was quickly averted. The Warlord seethed. Floret had been built with war in mind. It sat on a hill slightly higher than the surrounding area, and was covered by a moat on all four sides. The only way in was through a drawbridge, so they could not simply ram the gates. Riptang seemed to have hit a block. His plans on attacking Redwall, which had been built with peace in mind and thus not very well thought out for war, had involved researching the Abbey's history. So far he'd turned up nothing on Castle Floret, despite there being a score of full wagons stocked with books, writings, and maps that went wherever the horde went. Thankfully having such a large army meant that he picked up a lot of oddities. The plates of his armor clacked lightly together as Dakkar dropped from the tree in which he'd been perched, landing in a crouch in the undergrowth. By the wall, the last of the vermin raiding party fell. *** Riptang was frustrated, and scared silly. He knew he could hold his own in a sword fight against Dakkar, for a while. But he was nowhere near as accurate as the Ranger with a blade, so he could not hope to truly defeat the warlord. Just hold him off until the inevitable. The fox needed an epiphany, else he'd, quite literally, lose face. The Captain ransacked one book wagon at a time, searching through every scrap of parchment he found, poring over every map discovered. He was currently scanning a rare Tome of Cultures, when he stumbled across something very interesting, and a plan began to form in the fox's wily brain. It was not the epiphany he'd expected, but it was a start. *** Slagar was at his usual position in Dakkar's tent when the Warlord gave Riptang permission to enter. The Captain was carrying the Tome of Cultures. The book was a compendium of all sorts of different cultures, ranging from the Far North to across the Great Western Sea. It even included some rare information regarding the Rangers. Their article was short, but did give a small tidbit of valuable information that Riptang could use. "You have something for us?" Dakkar questioned. "Yes, excellency. I have found something concerning Kalvar the Ranger." Dakkar sat up straighter, his interst piqued. "Spit it out." "I have found an interesting tidbit of information concerning the Bloodwrath in Rangers." Slagar coughed violently. "And you think this Ranger is afflicted with it." Dakkar glared at him. "Of course he does. We trained together for several season before we turned on each other. I remember many a time hearing of how he went berserk when there were innocent creatures harmed."